


In Other Words

by orphan_account



Category: 30 Rock
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-01
Updated: 2012-12-01
Packaged: 2017-11-19 23:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/578861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liz's big day is more important than she probably realizes. This got unexpectedly angsty. Spoilers for the 11/29 episode.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Other Words

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing 30 Rock fanfic and Jack and Liz, so I really hope I got their voices somewhat right. Also this wasn't originally supposed to be angst. Ooops.

“Jack! Hey, thanks again for arranging all of this. And Dennis. I don’t know where he wandered off to. It’s probably better that I don’t know the answer to that question.” Liz was actually glowing. Jack didn’t think that was actually possible, until he realized the beam of light on her face was the light reflecting off Criss’ grill. Jack raised an eyebrow but merely saluted Criss with his glass of Scotch.

“Well, it’s an important event, Lemon. Mind you, the novelty wears off after the first two weddings,” he said dryly, and Liz rolled her eyes at him before leaning in to hug him. He was a little startled but returned the hug, trying not to drop his glass in the process.

“Even your one-armed hugs are the best,” Liz laughed, and with her voice close to his ear Jack Donaghy realized he’d never actually seen — or heard — her this happy before. And as much as it made him happy to see his friend happy, it also was a bit depressing. Lemon didn’t exactly have an easy time with anything, and things were  _finally_  looking bright for her.

She finally pulled away before it got too awkward, and the pair of them watched the people on the dance floor for a few minutes, Jack finishing his drink as they did. When Tony started singing Fly Me to the Moon, he set the glass aside and glanced over at Liz.

“Lemon, it’s a bit odd that every one of your guests is out there dancing, but the bride and groom are not. Whatever happened to tradition?”

Liz raised both eyebrows so high that they vanished into her Princess Leia updo. “Really, Jack? You’re a guest at a wedding where the bride is dressed as Princess Leia, there are funeral wreaths everywhere, and the groom is wearing more bling than a rapper. And you wanna start talking about  _tradition?_ ”

“You can’t dance, can you, Lemon?”

Her response was to start a variety of moves which he guessed were considered dancing, albeit not at all appropriate for the situation. He held up his hands in surrender.

“What exactly was that?”

“That, my friend, is what the youth of today call  _krumping_ ,” Liz said triumphantly.

“Why aren’t you  _krumping_  with Criss, then?” Jack asked her, and Liz scoffed slightly in amusement at the idea.

“Well, considering this was last-minute, we don’t have a song. And I doubt  _Tony Bennett’s_ band can play the Imperial March.” As always, Jack didn’t entirely get what pop-culture reference she was making, but her reasoning was sound and he merely nodded, then took her by the arm before she could start to protest.

By the time she’d started, they were on the dance floor and she was begrudgingly allowing him to rest his hand on her waist and clasp her other in his. And after a moment, when she realized nobody was really paying them any attention, she leaned into him just slightly and slid her hand up to his shoulder.

“So, I assume you and your betrothed will be taking off somewhere tropical soon?” he asked to fill the silence, which seemed to be there even though the band was playing and Tony was crooning one of Jack’s favourite songs. He doubted Liz knew what it was called, and was reminded once more of just how different they were.

She was trying not to step on his toes too much, Jack noticed. But he didn’t mention it. It seemed inappropriate.

“Nah, we’re just gonna go see the midnight showing of The Hobbit in a few weeks, and maybe go to Comic Con next year,” Liz replied, and she squeezed his shoulder gently, the rhinestone-encrusted letters of her wedding ring digging into it slightly.. “God, Jack, d’you honestly think TGS would be able to run without me? You’d end up with Tracy and Jenna trying to kill one another.” 

He wouldn’t mind that part so much, to be quite frank. (Frank could go too, actually). It would be two less headaches. What he wasn’t ready to accept yet, or even think about, would be when Lemon left. The main reason Liz had wanted this marriage to Criss, the reason it was so important, was so that she and her new husband could have kids. If Lemon had her way, and Jack new she would quickly get it, one day she’d march into his office without knocking, as she often did, and tell him she was pregnant. Or adopting. Or going on maternity leave. Or moving to Cambodia or Vietnam or some other strange country to do any of the above three. 

Everything would change. 

This relationship they had, be it mentor-mentee, colleagues, workers who are friendly to one another… Jack wasn’t entirely sure it could sustain this new chapter of Liz’s life where everything was wonderful and exciting and she wasn’t quite so cynical. They were moving in opposite directions now, and this was the point where their two lives intersected before continuing off, alone.

He felt a hand on his shoulder — the one with Liz’s still attached to it, and Jack turned his head to see Criss, grinning at the both of them but mostly at Liz.

“May I cut in?” he asked, and his eyes looked a tiny bit fearful. Like he thought Jack would refuse, say no — that Jack would basically be Jack Donaghy.

Instead, Jack smiled at Criss, let his hand slip off Liz’s waist, and left the newlyweds there to finish the dance — even if Criss seemed to be an even worse dancer than Liz. Liz didn’t seem to care, the happiness and adoration that she looked at her new husband with, and the sound of their laughter over the music as they swayed together and tried to coordinate their various limbs.

He ordered another scotch from the bartender and leaned back to watch for a moment. Wondered how long he still had before she left.

Wondered why he even cared so much.


End file.
